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Crown of Slaves
Crown of Slaves is the first book of the eponymous Honorverse sub-series, written by David Weber and Eric Flint. It was first published in 2003. Note: The short stories From the Highlands and Fanatic should be read for better understanding before starting this book. Timeframe: 1919 PD Cover Summary :The Star Kingdom's ally Erewhon is growing increasingly restive in the alliance because the new High Ridge regime ignores its needs. Added the longstanding problem of a slave labor planet controlled by hostile Mesans in Erewhon's stellar back yard, which High Ridge refuses to deal with, is the recent assassination of the Solarian League's most prominent voice of public conscience indicates the growing danger of political instability in the Solarian League - which is also close to Erewhon. :In desperation, Queen Elizabeth tries to defuse the situation by sending a private mission to Erewhon led by Captain Zilwicki, accompanied by one of her nieces. When they arrive on Erewhon, however, Manticore's envoys find themselves in a mess. Not only do they encounter one of the Republic of Haven's most capable agents - Victor Cachat - but they also discover that the Solarian League's military delegation seems up to its neck in skullduggery. :And just to put the icing on the cake, the radical freed slave organization, the Audubon Ballroom, is also on the scene Plot A truce between Manticore and Haven has brought a temporary end to the fighting between the two star nations. Captain Anton Zilwicki, his adopted daughter Berry, Princess Ruth Winton, and the genetic slave-turned-professor W.E.B. Du Havel are sent as Queen Elizabeth III's (not the High Ridge government's) official representatives to the funeral of notorious Solarian anti-slavery activist Hieronymus Stein, which will take place on the planet Erewhon, a disgruntled member of the Manticoran Alliance. Erewhon's location between Manticore, Haven and the Solarian League makes it a place where agents from the different star nations can play the intelligence game. From the first moment, Zilwicki, Berry and Ruth get entangled in a complex situation involving Havenite agents, ambitious Solarian Navy officers, violent Masadan mercenaries, the Audubon Ballroom, and the powerful Mesan slaving corporation Manpower Incorporated. Each faction has interests of its own, which collide with those of the others: the Manticorans want to salvage their relation with Erewhon (and upset Prime Minister High Ridge who allowed that relationship to sour). The Havenites, led by special agent Victor Cachat, intend to show support for the anti-slavery cause and improve their own relationship with Erewhon, with the unstated goal of breaking Erewhon away from the Alliance. The Erewhonese want someone to help them deal with Verdant Vista, a Mesan-owned planet which is a threat to their system security. A group of Solarian officers works to further the interests of Oravil Barregos, the powerful Governor of the nearby Maya Sector, who believes that the League is on the verge of collapse and wants to be prepared for what comes next. The Mesans want to stay out of the limelight and prevent all the other factions from attacking their slave trading industry, while the Audubon Ballroom, led by the enigmatic Jeremy X, simply wants to hit Mesa anywhere they can. And even Masadan mercenaries employed by the Mesans have their own agenda: to force Manticore to free several of their imprisoned companions. The clash of interests comes to a head with an attempted kidnapping of Berry Zilwicki and Ruth Winton (who happens to be a half-sister of the leader of the Masadan mercenaries) aboard The Wages of Sin, a huge orbital pleasure resort above Erewhon. After the kidnapping is spoiled and Manpower's involvement is discovered, a haphazard alliance between the Manticorans, Solarians, Havenites and the Ballroom is organized to launch an attack on Verdant Vista, popularly known as "Congo". The planet is violently taken from Manpower's hands and renamed "Torch", and it is decided to transform it into an independent star nation for escaped slaves, so that the fight against Mesa finally has a nation sponsoring it. To cement this new authority, the ex-slaves crown their own monarch: Berry I of the House of Zilwicki, Queen of the Kingdom of Torch. References Characters Jonathan Arnold | Oravil Barregos | Victor Cachat | Ingemar Cassetti | Unser Diem | Josette Draskovic | W.E.B. Du Havel | Deborah Fraser | Joseph Gatri | Karen Georgos | Ahmed Griggs | Edie Habib | Laura Hofschulte | Kao Huang | Naomi Imbesi | Walter Imbesi | Jacob | Harriet Jilla | Annette Kawana | Hosea Kubler | Lara | Kamal Lassiter | George Lithgow | Zenas Maguire | Jerry Manson | Catherine Montaigne | Michael Oversteegen | Thandi Palane | Haicheng Ringstorff | Luis Rozsak | Dr. Schwartz | Stanislav | Hieronymus Stein | Jessica Stein | Orville Suderbush | Homer Takashi | Abraham Templeton | Ephraim Templeton | Gideon Templeton | Marisa Turner | Ukiah | Yael Underwood | Kevin Usher | Virginia Usher | Jiri Watanapongse | Elizabeth III Winton | Michael Winton | Ruth Winton | Charles Wrangel | Wright | Donald X | Jeremy X | Anton Zilwicki | Berry Zilwicki | Helen Zilwicki | Zyngram Starships * ''Diamond'' (shuttle) * Felicia III * [[HMS Gauntlet|HMS Gauntlet]] * Pottawatomie Creek Stations * The Wages of Sin Planets * Erewhon * Manticore * Smoking Frog * Torch Nations * Anderman Empire * Republic of Erewhon * Republic of Haven * Star Kingdom of Manticore * Mesa * Silesian Confederacy * Solarian League * Kingdom of Torch Other 887th Solarian Marines Regiment | Anti-Slavery League | Audubon Ballroom | Chateau d'If | chemotracker | genetic slavery | heavy cruiser | House of Zilwicki | light cruiser | mag-train | Manpower Incorporated | Maya Sector | Maya Sector Detachment | Mzilikazi | Neo-Comedia | Earldom of New Kiev | Nueva Oaxaca Sector | pulser | Renaissance Association | Royal Black Book | Royal Manticoran Navy | Shadwell System | slavery | Solarian League Marine Corps | Tau Delta System | Technodyne Industries | Trommp Enterprises | VacuGlide | ''War Harvest''-class | Yarrow System | Yildun System External links * [http://www.webscription.net/p-92-crown-of-slaves.aspx Crown of Slaves] in the Baen Online Library (free to read, donation for eBook download) Category:Honorverse material